SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include a statement from the Sacramento County Department of Public Health, which provides medical and psychological care for Sacramento County Jail inmates.
Family members of inmates who were hurt and killed while in the Sacramento County Jail are speaking out against Sheriff Scott Jones.
They gathered in front of the Sacramento County Mail Jail on Friday — what would have been Antonio Thomas’ 42nd birthday, his mother Anita Thomas said.
“I wish he was here with me,” she said. “All I'm asking for is closure on what happened to my son."
Thomas said she has been waiting for two long years for answers to how her son was allowed to be so severely injured by his cellmate in December 2019 that he became comatose. He was removed from life support a month and a half later.
RELATED: 'My son was killed in this jail'| Sacramento mom still waiting for answers about son's death
Sacramento Civil Rights attorney Mark Merin represents the Thomas family and said he has sued the Sacramento County Jail on multiple occasions on behalf of inmates who were injured while in custody.
"You risk your life going into jail here. They're supposed to serve and protect — it's quite to the contrary,” he said. “This jail is a hellhole.”
More than a dozen protestors gathered outside the jail Friday, saying the facility has problems ranging from improper housing of inmates with mental illness — including Thomas — to dangerously poor medical care.
"Folks who are suffering with a mental health crisis do not belong in jail cells. They belong in beds. They belong in hospitals,” said Asantewaa Boykin, co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project.
Merin said he currently has three pending cases “where people have been killed or so seriously assaulted that they’re in vegetative states as we speak — by cellmates, because the jail has, first of all, put them together inappropriately and, second of all, failed to supervise or even observe what’s happening in the jail.”
At the news conference was Latanya Andrews. She’s the mother of Marshall Miles, who was hospitalized and later died after being booked into jail in the fall of 2018. Miles' autopsy says his death was related to drug intoxication — and restraints by sheriff's deputies.
Those at Friday’s news conference said they lay the responsibility for these problems at the feet of Sheriff Scott Jones.
"This is Scott Jones' doing. This is absolutely indefensible,” Merin said.
ABC10 reached out to Sheriff Jones for a response to these criticisms. A spokesperson told ABC10 the sheriff was out of contact while traveling Friday afternoon — and provided the following statement:
“The jail is a dynamic environment full of all types of people facing every conceivable crime. Each of these incidents, while unfortunate for those involved, are fully investigated to determine if any policy or training issues are present, regardless of whether there are claims made loudly to the contrary."
“The Sacramento Sheriff’s Office provides security and does not provide medical OR psychiatric care to those who are incarcerated. Such services are provided by the Sacramento County Correctional Health Department.”
ABC10 reached out for comment to the Sacramento County Department of Public Health, which oversees the county’s Adult Correctional Health services. A spokesperson provided the following statement.
"All new arrestees receive an intake assessment by Correctional Health nursing staff. From there inmates may be referred to physician staff for ongoing medical needs or to mental health staff for further assessment & recommendations for mental health services. Inmates may also request medical or mental health services via a Health Services Request form."
"In addition, Correctional Health staff provides timely and appropriate response in the event of health care emergencies within its facilities to reduce the risk of adverse patient events and poor clinical outcomes."
"Any health care an inmate may or may not receive while in custody is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and cannot be released without signed patient authorization or a court order."
"We cannot comment further due to pending litigation."
Jones announced last month he will not seek a fourth term as sheriff. Instead, he is running as a Republican candidate for California’s newly drawn Third Congressional District — which includes Roseville, Auburn, Grass Valley and South Lake Tahoe.
His challengers in this year’s contest will include Republican California Assemblyman Kevin Kiley and Democrat Kermit Jones, a doctor and veteran from Roseville.
